What does an oral surgeon do?
•Oral surgeons commonly remove impacted teeth. During the two times that I shadowed an oral surgeon, I saw 36 wisdom teeth get extracted.
•Although it’s not very frequently, oral surgeons perform orthognathic surgery (jaw surgery) in order to realign a jaw. •Oral surgeons perform a variety of surgeries on children who are born with a cleft lip or cleft pallete. •If a patient gets facially injured in a accident, the surgeon will reconstruct the mouth and face to make it look better than it was before. •Surgeons frequently remove tumors or cysts in the mouth or in the facial area. •Oral surgeons perform biopsies of suspicious tissue such as oral cancer. |
How has davidson prepared me for my future in the medical field?
Davidson has given me the great opportunity to take several classes that have prepared me for whatever career I choose to pursue. The three classes that have helped me the most at Biology, Advanced Placement Chemistry, and Anatomy. In biology, learning about genetics and participating in many labs is what really got my interests aimed toward the medical field. Taking two years of Chemistry has prepared me really well for the science classes that I am going to be taking in college. I am just finishing my first semester of anatomy, and I plan on taking Anatomy 2 next semester. Since I would really like to major in Kinesiology, Anatomy has introduced me to what I will hopefully be basing my career off of in college. I have learned a lot about movements in the body and the function of every system. I'm so glad that I am a part of Davidson's science classes because they have prepared me so well for college and what I will be doing for the rest of my life.
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Why i chose oral surgery:
For my whole life, I have always had a passion for teeth. My Grandpa was a dentist and my mom is a dental hygienist, so I have been exposed to dental offices and experiences for a while now. I looked into dental hygiene, but I wanted something that was more intense. I loved the idea of performing surgeries whether it was to help someone relieve pain or to reconstruct a face if an accident had occurred. My mom has a lot of dental connections in
the Hilliard area since that is where her office is located. She helped me get in contact with a surgeon
that was willing to let me look over his shoulder for a few days, which is not
very common. I thought it was practical
to shadow Dr. Denny Montgomery since he was the surgeon who extracted my wisdom
teeth. So here is are a few slides about
my awesome experience…
During my experience:
- I watched eleven different wisdom teeth extractions, which involved putting the patient to sleep, performing the surgery, and caring for the patient in recovery.
- I saw the doctor take a biopsy on a man who had white tissue lining in his gums, which is often oral cancer.
- I watched the doctor lance a woman’s chin open because she had a very large, raised cyst on her chin.
my favorite surgery:
Wisdom teeth extractions.
It was nothing like I expected. During the first surgery I watched, I actually felt really sick and I felt like I was going to pass out. I was not prepared to watch the patient get put to sleep. After the doctor puts the IV in the patient’s vein, the anesthesia puts the patient to sleep within six seconds…it’s crazy. During the beginning of the surgery, the doctor numbs the patient’s mouth more and then he starts prying out the teeth. There is a ton of blood, and there are also many sounds that the tooth makes that make you cringe! You can hear a little cracking noise once the root of the tooth finally detaches from the gum. |
Surgeon Instruments:
What does a wisdom tooth look like?
Here are four wisdom teeth that got extracted. Notice that they don’t look like normal teeth that fall out…these teeth are fully grown and they have a full root attached to them.
Is this still a possible career choice for me?
Of course! There is no doubt that being an Oral Surgeon or even an Oral Surgeon Assistant is on my list of possible career choices. I loved the working atmosphere and I loved combining two things that really interest me…teeth and surgery. I really liked how the job was laid back but also intense at the same time because a lot of pressure is placed on the doctor and assistants who are performing the surgery. I can’t wait to pursue a career in the medical field. Thanks for reading about my job shadowing experience!
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